wsj...
U.S. officials say that flights like those of the downed EP-3 provide
important intelligence information, for both the U.S. and its closest allies.
The main mission is to monitor air-defense radar systems and military radio
traffic, both to keep track of China's military modernization and to learn
how to jam or penetrate its radar and communications systems in a time of
conflict. A significant percentage of that intelligence-gathering could be
performed by satellites, but at a much higher cost, said John Pike, a
veteran intelligence expert with Globalsecurity.org, a private defense-policy
organization.
The U.S. is getting strong support from its regional allies on the flights
issue, including those that usually counsel caution when it comes to
confronting the Chinese.
Japan and South Korea both regularly fly their own surveillance missions in
the region, according to James Mulvenon, an analyst with Rand Corp.
Indeed, in recent years, the U.S. has virtually handed over the mission of
monitoring Chinese submarine activity to the Japanese and their fleet of
more than 100 P-3 Orion submarine-hunter aircraft. "Our allies were very
troubled by the precedent the Chinese were trying to set" by attempting to
halt the surveillance flights, Mr. Mulvenon said.
Thursday, anger was particularly high at the Pentagon, where officials said
that early reports from the U.S. crew members had only hardened their
belief that the Chinese fighter pilot had caused the accident. |
